At long last, it’s the wonderful month of April. Here in Portland, the cherry trees are blooming and there’s an energy in the air as winter releases its grip.

April is also the time to show your serious support for the planet. Earth Day is on April 22. This year the Earth Day Network is organizing the huge “March for Science” in Washington D.C. on that day.

In my work, I happily focus on the intersection of the earth and business every day. But this year, April’s Earth festivities call for “all-hands-on-deck.” And you can help.

The withdrawal of clean energy help at a federal level…

The new administration has chosen to withdraw its support from the Clean Power Plan, sign off on building the Keystone pipeline that carries fossil fuel, and label global warming a “concept … invented by the Chinese” – to name just a few truly awful actions.

In fact, global warming is something that scientists have been worried about since the 1980s. And for many of us regular citizens, it’s something we have seen with our own eyes. Think Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Superstorm Sandy in 2012, or the massive wildfires that burned over 10 million U.S. acres in 2015 alone.

I am baffled that the feds have chosen to ignore the hundreds of thousands of American jobs that come with renewable energy, smart home technologies, and electric vehicles. There are endless business opportunities, right here in America, for everything from sustainable fashion to sustainable agriculture.

That’s where you come in.

… means that action at the state and local level is crucial

I moved to Portland, OR because the city has a well-deserved reputation, not only for being weird and making lots of craft beer, but also for being “green.” My apartment building is LEED-certified, the public transit is so good that we sold one of our two cars, and there are more farmers markets offering organic food and locally made goods than I can shake a stick at.

That’s the norm here. You may have heard that Nike and Intel have their headquarters here. But did you know that SolarWorld and Vestas (the world’s largest builder of wind turbines) are just down the street too? Did you also know that “wind turbine technician” is one of the most sought-after employees right now?

I’d rather support American jobs and American workers, and green businesses do that far better than organizations that outsource overseas. Indeed, “green” thinking is so embedded here that it starts early. I recently read of the Portland teen who developed a portable solar panel that homeless people can use to power lights or devices.

Here’s what I’m doing to push the clean energy agenda forward

So this April, I’m putting my time (and money) where my mouth is by:

Marching in Portland’s “sister march” for the big March for Science on April 22. Much as I’d like to be in D.C., flying from Portland to D.C. would just create more greenhouse gas emissions. Here, I can walk to what I expect will be a big march, and still get my point across. To those who think “it won’t make a difference,” I beg to differ.

Visiting my Senators in person this month. Oregon’s Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden have done yeoman’s work to advance policies for clean energy and GHG emissions reductions. I plan to say, “Thank you” and “how can I help?”

Mentoring a student from a local university. Starting this month, I’ll share my career experiences with a Portland State University student who majors in Sustainability. I want these kids to succeed, even if I have more mistakes to share than victories.

Continue telling the truth on this blog about climate change and business. Because climate change is a clear and present danger. And businesses can remain profitable while addressing it. Facts matter. We ignore them at our peril.

If you’re not the marching type, write a letter to your local paper about how important you know climate change is. Did you know that subscriptions to newspapers like the New York Times and Washington Post since the election? Your words will reach more people than you might think!

Get involved at the state and local level. While I salute all the folks who have decided to run for office – everything from local school boards to state wide office – that takes time. Go to your Congressional Town Hall that will be held this month and speak up about climate change, clean energy and green American jobs.

In case you weren’t, here’s my ground’s eye view from WAAAY back in the third section of the march – which was devoted to “Climate Solutions.”

The march was:

Enormous. 400,000 people showed, instead of the 100,000 people that organizers expected. On the ground, that meant that things got pretty crowded by the time the march got moving.

Geographically diverse. The people around me came from everywhere. The man next to me was a high school science teacher. He had ridden 4 hours on a bus from Oneida, NY to march on behalf of his students. When I asked why he was carrying multiple signs, he said he planned to put them up in his classroom to spark discussion. I also met people from California, Chicago, Vermont, Massachusetts and North Carolina. This was not a New York-only event.

Demographically diverse. All kinds of people marched: young and old, men and women, families and singles, many races. Were there – ahem – “crunchy granola” types? Yes. But they were wildly outnumbered by people who look like my neighbors.

Very well organized. Thank you to the main organizers like 350.org for an amazing, successful event. Volunteers were easy to spot in their colorful tee-shirts, and directed me on my way. Thank you to the NYC police, who were out in force. The march was just as I had hoped – friendly, peaceful and LARGE. That doesn’t happen by itself.

Most memorable moment. At 12:58 pm, the organizers had asked for a moment of silence followed by a minute of noise to metaphorically “raise the alarm” about climate change. It was astonishing to see that many people fall silent all at once. And then, the marchers broke out noisemakers of every kind, including drums, rattles, horns – even a metal pot and wooden spoon. I experienced sound as a physical force, a wave of sound that started in the distance and then rushed over me. Wow!

The Bottom Line

As I’ve said before, I am not the marching type, but this march felt historic.

400,000 people in NYC alone is an astounding number of people expressing concern about climate change. And many of them went to a great deal of trouble to get there – taking buses and trains for many hours to meet and demand action.

When I looked around initially, I thought, “Aahhh – these are my people.” But as the march progressed, I realized that “my people” seems to include everyone – students, teachers, kids and grandparents, people of faith, farmers, artists, scientists, business people and non-profits.

The key will be, can all that “people energy” be channeled into powerful and effective action? I think it can. After all, as one marcher’s sign put it, “There is no Planet B.”

I’ll be joining the “We Have the Solutions” group, which includes “clean and green businesses.” Both the number of organizations participating – now over 1400 – and their sheer diversity is staggering. From native Americans to gray-haired grannies, from scientists to nurses, the list of partners is mind-boggling. My thanks to the organizers of the march for laying it out so clearly.

It looks like the weather is going to cooperate. 🙂 Where will you be on Sunday?